NEW YORK, December 18, 2023: Morgan Lewis has been named to Bloomberg Law’s 2023 Pro Bono Innovators list, which recognizes 15 law firms and one company for their success in important pro bono matters. The publication selected Morgan Lewis based on its successful representation of US military veterans, including US Army enlistees in the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program and the family of the late Private Albert King.
In the first veteran-related pro bono matter, Morgan Lewis led three federal class actions against the US government following the delay and denial of citizenship that was promised to thousands of MAVNI enlistees in exchange for the vital language or medical skills they brought to the country’s armed forces. The firm’s efforts set the course for more than 2,000 soldiers to obtain naturalization. Morgan Lewis also helped establish and fund a two-year fellowship with the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Immigration Council to help guide remaining noncitizen soldiers and veterans through the naturalization process.
Morgan Lewis also secured a favorable ruling from the Army Board for Corrections of Military Records (ABCMR) regarding the “line of duty” determination in the 1941 death of Private Albert King, a 20-year-old Black soldier with the Quartermaster Corps who was shot five times by a white military policeman on base at Fort Benning, Georgia. Private King’s death was initially classified as being “in the line of duty,” a determination that was later reversed. The favorable ruling from the ABCMR reinstated the determination that Private King did die in the line of duty.
Nominees for the Bloomberg Law Pro Bono Innovators list are assessed on their use of creative solutions to solve client issues, the impact and breadth of the matters handled, and their pro bono success history.
Morgan Lewis was also recognized for its MANVI efforts by the Financial Times with the Access to Justice & Civil Rights Award as part of the FT Innovative Lawyers North America Awards 2023.